Musician Curtis Salgado has become one of the most recognizable names in blues music over the last few decades. Despite awards and praise from his peers, Salgado says that he still has a long way to go until he feels he’s finally made it. KMUW’s Jedd Beaudoin recently spoke with Salgado and has more.
For his latest album, The Beautiful Lowdown, blues legend Curtis Salgado decided he would make a record that was as diverse as his own musical tastes, spanning the range from Motown-style grooves to classic, gritty blues--and beyond.
"This record is basically everything that's under the rhythm-and-blues umbrella," the Portland, Oregon-based musician says. "Including reggae. One drop, dance hall reggae. I love reggae, the whole history with mento, ska and blue beat. I'm a history freak. I want to know what makes things tick. At the same time, the only way I know how to make a living is through music."
Salgado’s love of history has often intersected with his passion for music. When he heard blues harmonica player and vocalist Paul Butterfield for the first time, Salgado knew that he wanted to find out who Butterfield had listened to.
"I heard Paul Butterfield's interpretation of [musician] Little Walter," he recalls, "which lead me to Little Walter. That was it. That just blew my mind. It was a whole other visceral thing going on. Jesus, that's deep stuff. And the harmonica, and the way it's recorded? I never heard Paul Butterfield again."
Recent years have seen Salgado earn unprecedented acclaim for his live performances and recording. In 2013 he added the Blues Music Award’s B.B. King Entertainer of the Year trophy to a growing number of industry accolades. "The Beautiful Lowdown" and Salgado’s previous album, "Soul Shot," have been well received by the critical community, fans and radio. But the Washington State native isn’t letting those positive strokes distract him from his commitment to making the music he loves. And, he says, he has daily reminders of how far he still has to go.
"I just made a hell of a record, man. And the people who count are calling me and going, 'Jesus, man. ' It's not like anybody in my genre," he says. "I know it isn't. I'm sure of it. I worked really hard at it. This going to sound like the glass is half full but I'm afraid that this is just another step. So that's a little of me going, 'I gotta get on to the next thing.'
"I've been doing this my whole life. This is all I know how to do. I'm in the back of a van right now, dragging a trailer. I'd like to get to the level where I'm playing more theaters and more festivals. I'd like to get to that next level of comfortability. It'd be nice to put my band members in single rooms."
And where some artists with a rich back catalog might stick to past glories, Salgado says he wants longtime fans and newcomers to hear as much of "The Beautiful Lowdown" as possible. That means incorporating a large portion of it in his nightly shows.
"We walked out of Portland with nine under our belt, out of 12 and we've still got a couple more to go," he says.
But, Salgado adds, there not every crowd and every song are a perfect match.
"There's a song on the new record called 'Healing Love,'" Salgado says, "I just can't picture doing it at a blues festival or at a rowdy bar. "
Other parts of the show, including a mini-set with guitarist Alan Hager provides concert-goers with something simple but powerful.
"I have a hell of a guitar player that plays pre-war blues really well," he says, "so we have a little bit where we break it down, just him and me, and do two or three songs that are just nasty. A Skip James/Son House type of thing. And we knock it out of the park."
"The Beautiful Lowdown" is out now. Curtis Salgado performs at the Crown Uptown Wednesday, June 22, at 6:30 p.m.
